Hello, i've been flicking through this handy column for a week or two now and decided its time to join in the fun!!! I have recently bought a 1960 Chevrolet apache panel. The front and back suspension is standard. It has had a 283 V8 put in it, although not very well. So now i shall ask some questions!!! SUSPENSION & BRAKES I would like to lower the truck all round and switch to discs up front. Are the conversion kits better than a later disc brake front end? Bearing in mind i'm on torsion bar front. Is a 4" rear drop about right to look cool but stay driveable? How much front end drop is needed to match 4" rear drop? Who does best kits? Also what master cylinder and booster do i need? STEERING What steering box and pump do i need to get power steering? ENGINE The 283 and powerglide box seems in good condition but the motor currently has a 2 barrel rochester carb which is holding it back. What can i do to this motor to get it near 300bhp? What horsepower would an Edelbrock Performer cam, Performer intake manifold and Edelbrock 600cfm carb give it? Also would i be better off changing the 2 speed powerglide box to a th350, th400 or 700? WHEELS Can i get smoothie style wheels on the 6 lug pattern & if so where from? or am i better changing the rear end to something with five lug? Front end i could get conversion kit to do either. SUMMARY If you've read down to here then thankyou for your time. Its not easy doing projects like this in the UK as most the bits i need have to come from the states. Any help will be greatly appreciated and hopefully i can get some photo's on soon. Happy new year, Steve.
I Did A 4 In The Front And 6 In The Rear Drop And Was Able To Get The Complete Kit From Early Classics For $1,400, I Think That Included Shipping. It Came With Everthing, Drop Spindles, Brakes, Brake Lines, Shorter Springs, Shocks And Shock Relocators, Adjustable Pan Hard Bar And All Hardware Included. I Was Blown Away When I Got The Kit And It Even Came With All The Prebent Brake Lines, Duel Reservoir Master Cylinder And Proportioning Valve. I Wasnt Expecting That. Anyway It Came With Everthing You Need Besides The Bigger Sway Bar For The Front AND THE BRAKE BOOSTER. I ALSO USED NEW BALL JOINTS, TIE RODS AND ALL THAT TOO. WITH THIS LOWERING KIT, IM 6FT TALL AND I CAN EASLY LOOK OVER THE TOP OF THE CAB WITH THE TRUCK AT ITS DRIVING STANCE. FOR THE WHEELS, I GOT MINE KUSTOM MADE AT WHEELVINTIQUES.COM AND THE WHITE WALL TIRES FROM WIDEWHITEWALLTIRES.COM/INDEX.HTM I SWAPPED MY REAREND TO A 12 BOLT THAT ALREADY HAD A 5 BOLT LUG PATTERNT SO WHEN I LOWERED AND DID THE BRAKE CONVERSION I STAYED WITH THE 5 BOLT PATTERN. BUT YOU CAN GET THEM IN 6LUG PATTERN IF YOU WANT. AS FAR AS THE POWER STEERING TRY THIS SITE. http://www.customclassictrucks.com/techarticles/60_66_chevy_gmc_power_steering_retrofit/ FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS AND YOULL HAVE NO PROBLEMS. AS FAR AS HOPPING UP YOUR MOTOR, CHECK OUT EDELBROCKS WEB SITE AND ORDER A CATALOG, THE CATALOG HAS GRAPHS SHOWING THE HORSEPOWER AND TORQUE THAT YOU GET BY USING THERE PRODUCTS, VERY HELPFULL. EDELBROCK DOESNT SELL DIRECTLY SO YOULL STILL HAVE TO ORDER FROM SUMMIT RACING OR JEGS. SOME GUYS LIKE THE 2SPEED POWERGLIDE, BUT IF YOUR GOING TO BEEF UP THE MOTOR YOU MAY WANT AT LEAST A TH350. SOME GUYS ALSO REALLY LIKE THE 700R4 BECAUSE OF BETTER HIGHWAY MILES AT LOWER RPM'S. GOOD LUCKY. HERES A PICK OF MY 66.
Thanks for your reply 66 KUSTOM. If i want to drop the front 4" then the drop spindles would give me 2.5" meaning i would have to lower torsion bar suspension 1.5" Does anyone know if that would work ok and would'nt throw off the geometry too much? Am i right in keeping this front end even though replacement joints are expensive? Also 66 KUSTOM when you lowered the rear 6" did you have to notch the chassis and alter shock/shock angle and if so was it difficult? Thanks for the power steering link, looks like their bracket kit is the way to go. The steering column i have at present i dont think is standard, does anyone know what other columns would work? Also would a late seventies 5 lug rear axle be suitable to replace original 6 lug axle? Could i just cut brackets of and weld to camaro axle to stick with original suspension? Thanks again, Steve.
By the way 66KUSTOM I think your truck looks cool on the deck in bare steel! What size wheels and tires are you running? Centre caps and wheels look great with whitewalls.
If you want a little more kick out of your 283 try looking at a Holley System Max kit. It was basically replace the top end of the motor. If you want to do it in stages try Scoggin Dickey heads, a mild cam and lifter change like 1500 RPM cam, Edelbrock 600 cfm carb, and a Performer RPM manifold. You probably will not see 300 hp out of you motor with this upgrade though. If you go to wild with your cam and intake then you loose day to day drivability. I would also recommend a 700r4 tranny swap. You will get more MPG and can cruise down the highway.
Thanks For The Compliment, Soon Ill Be Painting It Flat Black. ID LOVE TO KEEP IT BARE STEEL BUT OREGON LOVES ITS RUST. Im In To The Old Skool Style. I Had To Use 16" Wheels Due To The Large Disc Brakes, The Traditional 15" Wont Clear The Calipers. The Tires Are Stock Size, Besides That There 16" Not 15", Ill Have To Look Cause I Cant Remember Right Off. Im Not Sure About Lowering The Torsion Bar Suspension, But I Know It Can Be Done, Someone Else Here Probably Could Tell You. Id Definetly Keep The Torsion Bar Suspension For Nastalgia Reasons, Even Though I Like To Kustomiz Everthing. It Is Expensive To Change The Joints, But Worth It For Safty And Better Handling. 6" Is The Max You Can Lower Your Rearend With Out Having To C Notch The Frame. The Kit Comes With Relocated Upper Shock Brackets. Grind Off The Rivets From The Origanal Upper Brackets And Bolt In The New Brackets In The Origanal Bolt Holes, The New Bracket Is Longer And Places The Shocks At More Of An Angle. The Kit Comes With Completly Everything Youll Need To Do The Lowering Including The Shorter Shocks, Besides The Brake Booster And Bigger Front Sway Bar. Its All A Bolt Job Besides Grinding The Old Rivets Out. IF YOU WANT TO GO ANYLOWER THEN THAT YOULL HAVE TO GET INTO C NOTCHING, AIR BAGGING AND RUNNING A SMALLER TIRE TO ELIMINATE WHEEL RUB. THE 4/6 DROP STILL ALLOWS YOU 3" OF TRAVEL WHICH IS THE MINIMUM YOU CAN HAVE AND STILL HAVE A SMOOTH COMFORTABLE RIDE THAT HANDLES WAY BETTER THEN STOCK. As Far As The Power Steering Swap, Here At Classic Parts, They Sell The Rez Swap Kit. Easy Way Is To Find A Donor Truck Of Within The Correct Years And Take The Pump, Gear, And Hoses. It Makes For An Easy Swap Cause Youll Know It Will All Fit Together. For Fun, Your Local Parts House Sells A Pump Rebuild Kit For Around $5.00. Its Easy To Do And Is Good Insurance Againts Old Gaskets That Could Leak. Ive Seen Guys Try To Do This Swap With The Wrong Year Pump And Gear And It Doesnt Work, So The Year Span Is Important. Catch Is Youll Need A Drill Press And 1" Bit And A Welder. A Local Shop Can Help If You Dont Have But It Is Best To Weld The Flange In Place While On The Truck For Straigtness. It Took Me About 3hrs To Complete The Job. I Think 80s Chevy Vans Will Work As A Donor Column But Id Ask Dvalintine, He Knows More About That Then In Do. The Rearend, You Can Use Any Rearend You Want Too. Ive Seen Guys Stay With Chevy Rearends, Mostly 12bolts, Ive Seen Mopar 8 1/4", Dana 60's, And The Beloved Ford 9". Thing To Think About When Deciding Is the Strength Of the Rearend Due To What Your Going To Do With Your Motor, Avalability Of Gears That Youll Want To Put In It, And The Width Of Axle. Shortening the Axle Gets Spendy. Its easiest to find a rearend thats same width as your stock rearend, otherwise youll have to have it shortend or run with a different offset wheel to keep the tires looking in line with the fronts, with the rear tires tucked in the wheel wells the tires cant stick out like an 80's muscle car. You wont be able to rotate tires if you went that route. Classic Parts Sells New Shoes To Weld On Your New Axle For Mounting. If You Stay With Rear Drums, Keep The Ones That Come With The Axle So It Will Be A Simple Swap, Also Youll Need To Weld On A Thick Bracket On The Top Of The Diff Housing For The Pan Hard Bar To Bolt Onto. If You Can Find A Complete Axle With The Same 6 Lug Pattern You Can Go That Way Too, Ive Found That The Chevy 5 On 5 1/2" Lug Pattern Is The Most Common For Getting Wheels, Exspecially For The Steel Smoothies. Thanks Again For The Compliment, Let Me Know What Else I Can Help You With.
All this help is great. The companys that i have been looking at only seem to do lowered rear coil springs upto a 5" drop, so am i right in thinking to go any lower without airbags, i would need to use 1" lowering blocks and longer clamps? Also does anybody know how much power a stock rear axle will take? As i have found the steel wheels (smoothies) i like and they are available in six lug, so with a six lug front disc kit it would stay matching. Thanks again for your help, Steve.
If You Stay At 300hp Or Less You Should Be Fine On Your Rear Axle. Are You Planning On Changing The Gears? As Far As Lowering You Could Block It If You Want Cause The Axle Is On The Right Side To Lower It With A Block. Youll Need Longer U Bolts. Did You Check Early Classics? There The Ones I Got My 4/6 Drop Kit From. I Suppose It Cost Alot In Shipping To The Uk Thou.
More questions fellas!!! Is a front sway bar recommended for a torsion bar suspension, or is it un-necessary? Will be ordering suspension and brake parts this week and wanted to know who gives the best delivery and customer service? At the moment i'm leaning towards "classic performance products as there the cheapest i've found!!! Hope you all had a good new years eve. Thanks again, Steve.
Ive Only Those Kinda Of Parts From Early Classics And Here At Classic Parts So I Couldnt Tell You About That Comapany. As Far As The Sway Bar Im Not Sure If Its Neccisary But Im Sure It Would Help, Does Your Lower A Arms Have Holes In Them For The Sway Bar Bushings? Sorry I Cant Be More Help. Just My Personal Opinion, But When Ive Gone The Cheaper Route I Usually End Up Spending More In The Long Run.
Just from what I've heard,,, CPP does not have the best Customer Service.... Being from overseas, THAT should be a priority when dealing with an American company. Call Early Classic and see if they ship over seas. I think they can... http://www.earlyclassic.com Val
